For example, classism and ableism intersect when high-paying jobs prioritize physical and cognitive abilities, disadvantaging people with disabilities, especially those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Similarly, racism and ableism intersect when assumptions about abilities reinforce racist stereotypes, leading to further marginalization.

In the context of sexism, physical strength is often valued over other abilities, leading to the exclusion of women and nonbinary people from physically demanding jobs, despite adaptive tools that could make such roles more accessible.

Tests like these can be insightful because they encourage self-reflection and raise awareness about biases or perspectives that we might not consciously acknowledge. However, they also have limitations—they might oversimplify complex issues or fail to capture the full context of an individual’s experiences and beliefs.

Some people find the results surprising because they reveal implicit biases or assumptions they weren’t aware of, while others might feel the test doesn’t accurately reflect their values or lived experiences. It’s important to approach these tests as tools for reflection rather than definitive judgments.

Fitzgerald and Long argue that grouping sport by ability or disability often reinforces ableist ideologies by upholding normative standards of physical performance and implicitly valuing able-bodiedness. While ability-based grouping appears meritocratic, it often fails to account for the complex social, cultural, and structural factors that shape athletic participation and performance.

They critique how ability-based sport classification can inadvertently marginalize disabled athletes by suggesting that their athletic potential is inherently inferior or incompatible with mainstream sports. This can perpetuate exclusion and limit opportunities for disabled individuals to participate in diverse sporting contexts. Additionally, classification systems often fail to consider the intersectionality of disability with other social identities, such as race, gender, and socioeconomic status, further compounding inequalities.

Fitzgerald and Long advocate for more inclusive frameworks that go beyond rigid ability groupings and instead challenge dominant conceptions of athleticism and physical competence. This approach emphasizes the importance of creating sporting environments that celebrate diverse abilities rather than segregating athletes based on perceived deficits.

They also emphasize the need to question why certain physical abilities are prioritized in sport while others are devalued. This critical perspective encourages a broader understanding of athleticism that is less about conforming to able-bodied standards and more about fostering participation, inclusion, and respect for diverse capabilities.

One way Murderball perpetuates the supercrip narrative is by emphasizing the athletes’ intense dedication and physicality as proof that they have “overcome” disability. Instead of celebrating their achievements purely as elite athletes, the film often frames their success as a triumph over personal adversity. This focus aligns with the broader media tendency to sensationalize stories of disabled people who achieve greatness despite their impairments, subtly implying that disability itself is something to be conquered.

Gender significantly informs the supercrip narrative in the film, as the athletes reclaim traditional masculine ideals through strength, aggression, and competitiveness. As noted in the blog post “I Am Not Your Supercrip” from Facing Disability, the supercrip trope pressures disabled individuals to perform at an extraordinary level just to be deemed valuable. In Murderball, the athletes are not just celebrated for their athletic achievements but also for embodying a form of masculinity that aligns with able-bodied norms. This portrayal suggests that to be respected as disabled men, they must prove their toughness and dominance, thereby reinforcing both ableist and gendered expectations.

By framing athletic success as both a reclaiming of masculinity and a triumph over disability, Murderball ultimately perpetuates problematic narratives that equate worth with physical strength and determination, rather than recognizing athletes on their own merits.